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-"With sweetest flowers enrich'd.
From various gardens cull'd with care."
FOR THE OETTYBDUROH STAR. AND DANNER.
TREE IifIONORJED OF FAME
.1 Tribute to the noble advocate of Free
School Education.
OE NEB. , f,YDIA JANE P SIEBEN
Him' on a glorious cloud of dazzang white,
Adorn'd with fringe of gold and purple light,
Paine's mighty . Maiutscript lay wide unroll'd,
Croat' by a glittering petrol purest gold ;
Wreatli'd with green olive leaves, and clustering
flow'rs,
Cull'd from the everliving laurel bow'rs.
Swifter and brighter than the electric flame,
Thu Genius of the thousand echoes came:
She took her•pon, and with a thoughtful smile,
Tuned the bright pages of her book the while.
First on a page of pure and dazzling white
Was written WASHINGTON ! in lines of tight:
Thou bast no mach, she said, transcendent one!
Thou standest, and wilt ever stand, alorie.
She turn'd the leaf, and with attentive eye,
Survey'd an ample page of crimson dye;
On which in blazonry appear'd the llama
Of those whom deeds of blood had ruis'd to Fame;
From Nimrod, who first fill!r1 a regal throne,
Down to that sport of Fate, Napoleon.
I cannot write hen name with these, she said;
They trod the earth like pestilences dread,
Till even in weariness Death turn'd away,
And the insatiate Grave ribbed the prey.
That leaf she tuned, and there uppear'd to view,
Bright names upon a page of sable hue—
I read Lycurgus, and from thence believ'd
That these wore they whose laws the world receiv'd.
He must not be enroll'd with these, she cried;
They were self righteous men, of vengeful pride,
Who wuigh'd and measur'd out due punishment
Far crimes they should have studied to prevent.
Another loaf of blue, with letters bright
As the red lightning's track of liquid light,
Display'd their names, whose mighty minds had
striven
To grasp the rolling spheres, and balance heaven,
She mark'd her Newton's name with smile of pride,
And yet I will not write him here, she cried.
Next o'er an emerald page their were spread,
Who studied Nature and the earth we tread;
• Bright characters and noble men aro here,
Yet not amongst their names mast his appear.
Now on a motley page shone many a name,
Of such as handicrafts had rods's] to Fame:
She look'd them over with a beaming face,
And said, These men' ere a blessing 'to their race:
They took the grief and burden tour the toil,
With which the agrienhurist the soil,
And Mechanism smiles proudly .ri'or Lis lot,
While Manufacture's labor is forget,
And the wide &strike of the Ina and land
Is now a point by their vast genius spewed;
Industry bleises theM, and thankless pride
Is with'hot trappings by their means supplied.
A moment as 'M flinging mood she stood,
Then tum'd a leaf translucent as the flood,
O'er which like pearls upon the ocean's bed,
A few inestimable names were spread,
In various languages, of every clime,
From Cadmus downward to the present time.
Fathers and Nurses these of Literature,
She said, whose atones forever must endure;
And yet, not even with Cris august hand
Tho name of Pennsylvania's pride must stand.
All those my favorites in the days of old,
And theso bright names at recent dates enroll'd,
Display'd the powers of the immortal mind,
How it may soar, extend, and bo relin'd; '
How high, how wide, how deep their genius went!
Strong to explore, to improve, and to invent.
Each at the goal displayed his glittering prize,
.A dazzling sunbeam to admiring eyes,
And urg'd the ardent youth to follow on,
Along the dazzling path in which they run.
And many look'd with eager lunging eyes,
And heart and hand,that might have won the prize,
Then turn'd with bitter feeling to their toil,
To ply their trade, or farm the heavy soil—
For Penury's cold chain lay on their breast,
And all the soul's rich ardor was supprest.
Full many a mind in utter darkness lies,
That might have rank'd ' amonOt the grout &wise;
For - Learning's gate was look'd, and would unfold
To none but such as brought a key of gold;
Even Native Genius, proudly suffering,
Monne() an uncultur'd youth, with erooping wing.
He, whom I honor now, beheld with pain,
Amongst proud Pennsylvania's laboring train,
The bright spark smouldering in the unopen'd
mind,
And the rich metal rusting unrefired,
And know how great his country's loan must be
In talent thus unwisely thrown 4rway. •
He rose in might! and nobly atem'd the tido,
Of purblind Ignorance and preposterous pride,
And Parsimony, whose low, earthen mind • .
Was never by a ray from heaven refired;
Who'd rather have one glittering coin in store
Than all the wreaths my laurels ever bore,
Firmly amidst opposing ranks ho stood,
While seer his feature'aplay'd the generous blood;
And the clear eye burnt with an ardent flame,
That from his lips like holy incense came,
Till those who gaz'd and liston'd caught the glow
And felt their spirits with the speaker's flow,
Me won the day, and Learning's partial door,
Is open now alike to rich and poor;
All have access to elcienco's holy spring,
And there's no chain on Genius' restless wing;
No more by iron Penury confined,
;Shall the germ wither in the inventive mind:
Mut now Instruction's genial dew shall fall,
And her bright sun shine equally on all. .
The man is great who blodly wins a crown,
And he who earns a conqueror's renown;
And he is great whoie salutary laws •
IRestirain the bad, and right the suftbrer's cause;
And they are great who gave tb Science birth,
Who climb'd the heavermand meted out the earth,
Measur'd the elements, and weigh'd the air,
And laid the mysteries of Nature bare; ,
And they are great who bend the inventive mind
To improve the Arta and benefit mankind;—
But, its is greatest, who with honest soul,
Pursues what most may benefit the wuor.s.;
Who, nobly great himself and truly wise,
Pours liglit and knowledge on all willing eyes,
And sends Instruction with her magic wand
To fledge the wings of Genius thro' the land,
Till she arise and range with extacy,
Through all Time's mysteries, to Eternity.
Then bending o'er a page of morning light,
'ln brilliant characters I saw her write [name
TUVIDDEUS STEIIEMSI His the glorious
Thus honor'd on the eternal roll of Fame ;
And future years with their ten thousand tongues
Shall hymn that name in proud and grateful songs.
la 11 E T, Mgr eo. Penn.
FROM THE PERRY FORESTER.
"Ah! who can tell how hard It is to climb
The steep, where Fame's proud temple shines afar
Oh! fade not yet effulgent star,
That lured me in the morn of life,
To follow thy resplendent cur,
That rolled above the vales of strife.
Oh, fade not yet! but while I mourn
That Time could mar so fair a scene,
Guide Memory to the distant bourn,
Whore first thy meteor light was seen.
We long to grasp the rainbow titles
Of Hope, that mock our longing eyes;
And lave us with the star-light dews
Of beauty in her earthly guise—
Or blend our spirits with the beams
Of vernal morn, or summer eve,
And revel in the lovely dreams
Which youthful hope and fancy weave;
And drain the sparkling cup of joy,
Or wear the laurel wreath of fame—
One rosy hour without alloy— .
One spark of glory's sacred flame.
How bright and beautiful appears
Even now that moment, and haw vain,
Awl dull, and cold, the after years
Of Life's stale joys that yet remain.
Now manhood mounts the steep of Fame,
—That frightful solitude of woe,—
A kindred with tho stars to claim,
And gaze with eagle-eye below.,
But finds beyond that giddy height,
That all is desolate and lone;
The darkness of an arctic night,
Where thunders echo to our moan
Now the soul 'sickens, and we bow
Reluctant to the kindless blast,
- Which lays our proud aspiringa low;
The heart's warm jewels of the past.
And this is Life—l weep, I weep
O'er ills which future life may bring,
And in oblivion's Lathe steep
The head's worn feelings, still they sting.
Now fade for aye, wild meteor fade,
Quenched to the ocean depths of woe;
O'er blighted joys and hopes decayed;
The tear in solitude must .flow. '• • •
Bloomfield, June 16 1837.
WW2 I2.2=STOQIIVC3O2?O
THE EMPRESS OP PRATIVE.
She. in the working of whose Destiny.
The Man of Blood and Victory attained
His more than kingly height.—r The Conquerer.
When a few centuries shall have thrown their
shadows upon the strange fortunes of Napoleon,
and give to everything about him the tinge of ro
mance, The story of his first wife will seem to the
student rather a fabric, than n fact; he will ook up
on her as we look upon Mary of Scotland, but with
a deeper interest; for she, far more truly than her
lord, was from first to last ..the child of deaths)."
Told, while yet unmarried that she would be a,
wife, a widow, and then Queen of France—the
entire fulfilment of the first part of the prophecy,
gave her courage to believe in the last part also,
when under sentence of death. When her bed
was taken from her, because she was to die in the
morning, sho told her weeping friends that it was
not so, that sho should yet sit upon that throne on
the mine of which Robespierre then - stood triumph
ant; and when asked in mockery, to choose her
maids of honor since she was to ho queen, she did
choose them, and they wore her maids of honor
when half of Europe looked up to her. On that
night, whibh was to have been her last on earth,
Robespierre fell. Had ho fallen a few days earlier,
her first husband would have lived; had his fall
been but one day later, Josephine herself would
have been among the ten thousand victims, whose
names we have never heard:—But he fell on that
night, and her destiny was accomplished.
She married Napoleon, and through her, and as
her husband, ho was appointed to tho army of
Italy; step by step they rose, till, at last, the crown
rested upon her head:—the second part of the
prophecy was proved true, one she began to look
forward to that loss of power and rank, which had
also been forctold e and which was to close the
strange drama of her lifd.
And he that had wedded the child of destiny
grew every day more strong, and more grasping.
In vain did Josephine attempt to rule his ambition,
and chasten his aims; ho was an emperor, ho wish
ed to found an empire, and by sloW degreeii he
made himself familiar with the thoughts of putting
her away.
IVhon the campaign of 1809 was at an end,
hardened and narrowed, the general came back to
his wife; his former kindness was gone,—his play
fulness was checked, he consulted her but seldom,
and seldom stole upon her private hours, with that
familiar love that had so often made her heart leap.
She saw that the hour drew nigh.
It was the evening of the 20th of November, the
Court were at Paris in honor of the king Saxony.
Josephine sat at her window, looking down upon
the river, and musing on the dark fate before her,
when she heard Napoleon's step at her door. She
sprang to open it'Using her usual exclamation
"man ami." He embraced her so affectionately,
that for an instant all her fears and woes seemed
vain. She led him to a chair; placed herself at his
feet, and looking up into, his face, smiled through
her tears.
~ Y ou aro unhappy , Josephine," said the cm-
..Not with yciii;sire."
"Bab!" said hii quickly, "why call me sire?
these shows of.stito steal all true joy from us."
"Then why seek them?" answered Josephine.
The emperor Made no reply. "Arc you not the
first of men," she continued "why not quit war,
turn ambition out of your counsels, hen your
•
66 1 WM/ NO OTHER HERALD, NO OTHER BEII/1-HER OF MY LIVING ACTIONS, TO SEEP MINE HONOR FROM CORRDFPION."--BHAKS.
• •
emzeoraurpmera s . rpacb zikaAckar e avaar tw o acizrao
ELOQUENT EXTBACT.—Tho following happily
expresse4.l and admirable sentiments of Sir Hum-
P/IREY Dsvr, have been handed us, and we are,
sure wo could not better devote the space they oc
cupy:
lightful, and I believe most useful to me, I should
prefer a firm, religious belief to every other bles
sing; for it makes life a discipline of goodness; cre
ates now hopes when all earthly hopes vanish, and
throws over the decay, the destruction of existence
the most gorgeous of all lights; awakens life oven
in death, and from corruption and 'decay calls up
beauty and divinity, and makes an instrument of
fortune and of shame the ladder of ascent to Pam
dise;and far above all combination of earthly hopes,
calls up the most delightful visions of palms and
amaranths, the gardens of the blessed, the security
of everlasting joys; where the sensualist and the
sceptic view only gloom, decay, annihilation, and
despair."
THE QUEEN THAT IS TO BE—Victoria is in her
eighteenth year; in the`bud of womanhood—beau
tiful in person, and brilliant in intellect. Her un
cle, the king, has far advanced in years, and the
princess, in all probability, will soon wield the
destinies of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Vic
toria upon the throne of Britain, Donna Maria up
on that of Portugal, with Isabella of Naples, would
form a new era in the courts of Europe, remind.
iug. us of the days when the Catharines and Eliza
baths governed•the people of their charge as well
and wisely as the ablest monarchs" of the world.
Tux sum xo•rwr..—The editor of the Boston
Advocate says of the present state of things, oAll
tho world owes all the world more than all the
world aro worth, and all the world call upon all
the world to pay. All the world, therefore, are
in reality worth just as much actual wealth as they
were before nll the world failed."
FEMALE rourrruec.—Much has been said and
written about the superiority of women in their
power of patient endurance; but few persons have
added the just, though melancholy reflection, that
the power of endurance •in women is but the faith
meascre of how much they have:to endure.
PROPZEITIe—*Mr. Hood, in an articlo
of singular humour, states that the phrase "repub•
lk of letters," was hit upon to insinuate that,
taking the whole lot of authors together, they have
not got a sovereign among them.
thoughts on the good of France, and live - tit home
among those who love your
.Josephine," said ho, turning his face from
het, °it is not I, it is France, demands the sacri
fice."
“Are you sure of that, my lord?” said his wife;
"have you probed your heart to the bottom? is it
not ambition that prompts you to seek reasons
for repudiating me? for think not, Napoleon, I
misunderstand you; are you sure it is the lovo of
France?"
Every word that she spoke touched him to the
quick; and rising hastily, ho replied, "Madam,
have my reasons; good evening."
“Stay, sire," said she, taking hold of his arm,
"we must not part in anger. I submit. Since
you-wish it, I submit cheerfully. It. is not in my
nature to oppose your will: I love' you too deep..
ly. Nor shall I cease to love you, Napoleon, be.
cause I am to leave your throne and your
[(you still go on victorious, I shall rejoice with
you: if reverse comes, I will lay down my life to
comfort you. I will pray.for you, morning
, and
night; and, in the hope that sometimes you will
think of me."
Hardened as he was, Napoleon had loved his
wife deeply and long; and his submission to his
stern resolve—her calm but mournful -dignity—
her unshaken love moved even him; and for a
moment Affection struggled with Ambition. He
turned to embrace her again. But in that moment,
her face and form had changed. Her eye was lit
with afire like that of insanity, and her whole
person seemed inspired. He felt himself in the
presence of a superior being. She led him to the
window, and threw it open. A thin mist rested
upon the Seine,and over the gardens of the palace:
all around was silent; among the stars, then be
fore them, one was far brighter than the rest:—she
pointed to it.
_ "Bonaparte," she said, "that star is mine; to
that and not to yours,waspromisedv3inpire; through
we, and through my destinies, you have risen; part
from me and you fall. The spirit of her that fore
saw my rise to royalty, even now communes with
my spirit, and tons me that your fate hangs on
tnino. Believe me .ar not, if we henceforth walk
asunder, you will leave no empire behind you,and
will die yourself in shame, end sorrow, and with a
broken spirit."
He turned away sick at heart, and overawed by
the words of One, whose destiny had been so
strangely accomplished: Ten days were passed
in resolves and counter-resolves—and then the
link that bound him to Fortune, was broken.—
Josephine Was divorced—and, as ho said liimse
at St. Helena, from that hour his fall began.
Josephine was divorced—but her love did not
cease; in her retirement, she joy ed in all his suc
cesses, and prayed that he might be saved from the
fruits of his foul ambition. When his son was
born, she only regretted that she was not near him
in his happiness; and when ho went a prisoner to
Elba, she bagged that she might share his prtstotr,
'and relieve his woes. Every article 'that he had
used at -her residence, remained as ho left it; she
would not let a chair be moved. The book, in
which ho had been last rcading,waa there with the
page doubled down, and the pen that he had last
used was by it, with the ink dried on its point.—
When her death drew nigh, she wished to sell her
jewels, to send the fallen emperor money; and her
will was submitted to his correction. She died
before his return from Elba; but her last thoughts
were of him and France; and her last words ex-
pressed the hope and belief "that she had never
caused a single tear to flow." She was buried in
the village church of Ruel, and her body was fol-
owed to the grave, not alone by Princes and Gen
orals but by two thousand poor, whose hearts had
been made glad by her bounty.
Her marble ntonumout bears only this ineclip
tion:
"Eugene and Hortense to Josephine."
What a fund for future writers, in her character
and fate; and what a lesson to all of us, whether
in prosperity or adversity. Jo H. P.
envy," says he, "no quality of the mind or
ntollect in others—not genius,power, wit, or fancy
but if I could choose what would be most de-
, t 3O3 IMUNICATIONB.
. Fourth of July.
Agreeably to previous arrangement, the
Sixty-first Anniversary of out National In
dependence was celebrated b the Gettys
burgh Guards, Citizens' Band, and Citizens
generally.
At 10 o'clock, the procession entered the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, where an
able address on Temperance was delivered
by the Rev. Mr. Kilawrii, after. which, the
procession, under the command of Capt. S.
S. M'CliEnny, marched to Culp's g rove,
near the borough, where they partook of an
excellent repast prepared for the occasion.
The cloth being removed, on motion,
WM. W. BELL, Esq. was appointed Pres
ident, J. B. DANNER, Esq. Vice President,
and R W. lll'Shetry, Secretary.
Mr. Oirru was called upon to read the
Declaration of Independence, after which
the following toasts were drank, accompani
ed with appropriate music by the Citizens'
Band:
REGULAR TOASTS.
1. The day—Our National-Sabbath; may
it never be broken by the misguided zeal of
polilieel partizans. [flail Columbia.
2. The Signers of the Declaration
Every - returning anniversary sheds a new
lustre of glory around their immortal deeds,
and imprints the recollection of it morefirm
ly in the hearts of their countrymen.
[Silent 4. Standing.
3. WASHINGTON---Illay his memory be
cherished as long as liberty and virtue shall
find a place on earth. [Silent 4. Standing.
4. LAFARE'FFE—The partner of Wash
ington. Although a Frenchman by birth.
yet . all American in feeling. While we re
member the former, let us not forget the lat
ter. [Silent 4 Standing.
5. JEFFERSON—May his noble example
teach those who profess to be his followers,
what it is to act a magnanimous part.
[Silent 4- Standing.
O. The Glorious "Thirteen”—May they
prove bright and sliming lights to guide their
younger sisters on their way to future great
ness. [Star Spangled Banner.-0 cheers.
7. The Union—Let it be cherished by
every lover of his Country, as the palladium
of his 'rights, the only safe-guard of his polit
ical existence. [Boston G. March.
8. 7'he President and Vice President of ]
the United States. [President's March.
9. The Governor of Pennsylvania.
[Governor's March.
10. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
—.lf her suns prove true to their trust, and
una watially -surretatin•
terests into foreign hands, she will still con.
them to hold the ptoud eminence she has
hitherto enjoyed, increasing in strength as
she waxes in age.
/*Capt. Partridge's March —5 cheers.
11. The Army and Navy of the United
States—With the Star Spangled Banner
over their heads, and the deeds of their gal.
lant ancestors before their eyes, they will
ever prove efficient means for the preserva
tion of our National Honor.
[Star Spangled Banner.
12. Universal Education—Let Educa
tion be universally diffused through all classes
of society, and then will the people no longer
bend the "ready hinges of the knee" at the
nod of power, and then will vice bow to
virtue. [4 cheers.
12. The American Fair—Unsurpassed
in beauty, virtue and intelligence! may they
remember the powerful influence they are
destined to exert either for the weal or wo
of our young Republic. .
[0! never fall in Love.-4 cheers,
VOLUNTEER TOASTS.
By the Prosident: May all the banks in
the United States,resume specie payments;
and the reign of shinplasters, of course will
be brief.
By the V. President: Peace while peace
is honorable—but war when peace is dis-
honorable.
By the Secretary: The heroes and sages
of the Revolution, sacred be their memories.
By Wm. Witherow: May banking be
done on a sound principal.
By Samuel Loltr: independence—Dearly
purchased by our fathers, and a rich inheri
tance to us their children.
By John Ziegler: The day we celebrate
—May its annual return be ever hailed by
our freemen, exulting in the joys of freedom.
By Christian Deciliter: The Union-7. For;
med in solid column, may its ranks never be .
broken by the assaults of its enemies.
By John H. Bieghly: The spirit of Re
publicanism—Throughout the world may it
go on conquering and to conquer, controlled
by prudence and wisdom.
By a Printer: May the enemies of the U.
States be battered into pi by the quoin Ma/.
lets of Uncle Sam until they see stars.
By Silas Norris: The Army of the U.
States—May the swords of our soldiers no-
ver be drawn in an unjust cause, or sheathed
n a just one.
By Thomas Martin: The Press—The
:reat sun which lights the path of our coun
ry to honor, glory and happiness.
By J. B. Livingston: The American eo
'onization Society—The only politic means
by which the degraded suns of Africa can be
restored to the land of their ancestors.
By Charles W. Hoffman: The Citizens'
Band—Fara rate, and never better than to-
By J. Sarbaugh: Washington,—May all
who love his name obey his precepts.
By Capt. M'Creary: The American Fair,
"What signifies the life of man,
If 't were not for the Lasses 0 I"
By A. Maury : The day we celebrate—
May the enjoyment of its blessings be as per-
petual as the fame of its declaration.
By W. H. Picking: May the tree of lib
erty be planted around the world, and every
being partake of the fruit thereof.
By Robert Tate: The will of the people,
the law of the land.
By John Odell: Agriculture, Manufa e.
tures and Commerce—May each be amply
protected,& enjoy uninterrupted prosperity.
By James White. Gen. Geo. Washington
—Who in fame stands unrivalled, who con.
quered the conquerors of Europe, and set the
' sons of Columbia at liberty—may his fame last
when that of others shall be sunk in oblivion.
By It. W. Beech: The President and
Heads of Departments of the United .States.
By G. Orth: Our country, our whole
country.
By the Citizens' Band: Our absent mem.
hers in ilfillerstown. [Term— Yankee D.
By Wan; 11. Miller: Our .9rmy arid
Nary—Our defence in %Vat., they should
not be neglected in Peace. '
By John 11. Evans: The Fair Sex of
Gettysburgh—May they be as s►ncece as
beautiful.
ORATION,
Delivered at Fairfield,Adams County,Pentisylvania,
July 4, 1837
By Dr. John K. D'Curdy.
CALLED on, as I have been, Gentlemen,by
the kind feelings and partiality of friends to
revive the associations of t his day—the anni
versary of the birth of American Liberty,
I must claim the favour of your indulgence.
1 am thankful for the kindness,which promp
ted the selection. But unaccustomed as I
am to perform the part allotted me ..:.uriused,
as I have ever been to scenes like this, from
which the practised orator would seize his
theme, and, with Ins heart touched by the
occasion, would charm and instruct his
hearers, I would scarcely venture oci your
patience unless I were,to sonic extent, sure
of our indulgence.
Gentlemen,—the occupation in which I
have embarked calls me to mingle with my
fellow citizens in a manner different from
the present meeting. The duty that lam
called on to perfiirm, is not before the admir
ing and applauding crowd; but it is in the
chamber of the afflicted and in the midst of
anxiety and sorrow. And the scenes which
I witness touch a ditThrent cord of the human
heart, from that touched by the sound of
mirth and of joy, which are bursting around
me. This theme to me is new ground. But
there are occasions on which there is a unity
ofsentiment. There are scenes,which must
kindle a glow of feeling in the very coldest
breast: and although that feeling be not of
the same intetilty and ardor in all, it is yet
the same kindred feeling: because lit up and
fanned by ttw same object. .
Such, I trust, is the case on the present
occasion. I see around me many of my fel
low citizons,and when I ask the cadse of this
assembly, the response is made from every
4ip,—that it is to celebrate the birth of A
merican liberty and American greatnessl—
keep-in remembrance the time; when
on this infant nat.on the deepest clouds of
darkness hung, and the grandest spectacle
of human greatness and daring ever presen
ted to the world, was seen in the Declaration
of Independence: That it is to cast back
our thoughts, but a little 'more than sixty
years into the past, to dwell on the gloom
and discouragements 'of that period, and to
compare them with present advantages and
present prospects, to be conscious of what
we now are. We have, I trust, met this
day in American feeling. We stand on
American soil; mid have cast aside every
angry feeling that would disturb our harmo
ny. The lines of party I know have divided
us. I recognize those, who, in the contests
of party, which appear to be destined to rage
without end, are arrayed on adverse sides:
but different as may be our sentiments on
the various political questions which agitate
our country, wo have forgotten, I trust, for
a while, that difference, and mingle to-day
as members of the same great political flitm- ,
ly. We have not come to proclaim the
triumphs of this party or that party; but we
have come to mingle our gratulations, and
to shout hosannas to the goddess of Ameri
can freedom. We claim the proud title of
Americans—ALL; and celebrate, to day, as
American citizens.
t is not my intention to attempt any thing
like a historical narration of the events that
have brought us to what we now are. Suffer
me to remark, however, that the eventr, con.
meted with America have always been full
of interest to the great and the good. Ever
since the time, when
"The heavy night hung dark
The bills and waters o'er,
And a hand of exiles moor'd their bark
On the wild New England shore,"
this has been considered the asylum of the
oppressed. The exile fled from oppression
in the old world, and he has raised here an
edifice for the oppressed of all nations, and
for the admiration of the world. He fled
from religious intolerance there, and here in
the . wilderness erected the altar of religious
freedom, and sung the anthem of religious
liberty. Our land can boast of being tho
Pinsr spot ofearth where that liberty of con
science, of which we all boast, was first pro
claimed to the world. Its infant voice was
first heard rising on the blast, amidst the
forests of the western world. Here it still
lives; and, as Americana, we glory in its
American origin.
But, interesting as every thing connected
with the early history of our country is, the
associations of this day carry us back more
particularly to the period of therevolution.
And on the story of American wrongs and
American struggles, I can add nothing now
The simple tale, told by the gray-headed
veteran of 76, such 'as one of the Vice Priesi-
dents,* who does honor to this day,howaker
unadoMed with the charm of novelty, poi.
susses still a magic interest. I delight toast
and hear the old man tell the tales of the
• SAMUEL M i NAY. Sen.
[VOL. 8 -. NO. 15.
ReVolution, and whilst ',lleum to his
„story
and watch his eye, which has grow n. `dim
perhaps through age and infirmitY.,boo4.
ing brighter and brighter at the recolleatiott
of his early days, I cannot but feel that 00111
are the men, who, .on occasions like;titibidr,;
should tell our country's history. Bail Peed
not remind you of the 'efforts it. crii3t - tm
fathers of that day to bequeath to utt.thei,rieh
heritage we enjoy: I need not remind yew'
of the toils and sufferings they enclunick and
I need not tell you of the dangers te which
they were exposed. You know the- Watery
of those gloomy times; and I doubt not, Ve
have all felt, in - reading that history,, ihai
they must have had daring, hearts Indeed;
who dared so much. The history of
~.the
world does not afford a nobler Instance cif .
courage, than was presented by the few seat.
tered colonies, defying the haughty poWer
of England.. Without an army .car which
they could rely; without the necessary ;mane'
to carry on a war; and with thomands.of
enemies to their cause in the midst of them:
:hey dared to declare, in tte: face,of
proudest nation of the world,"that they Werei,,
and of right ought to be, free and indepeo-.
dent States." And gallatitly.they maintain
ed that declaration;, or we might not . this
day have been singing the sorig . ofliherty.
However revolting to the spirit of a freeman;
we might have been forced .to rninistetto
the luxiii tee of pampered lords and poten.
totes. The wrongs and oppressions oaf up
hippy Ireland might have been eine. The',
sad fate of Poland tells, in part, what we
might have been. Borne down by the bur 7
Jewel her oppression, and galled into resist •
once by her thousand wrongs,with the bright
star of. American liberty before her to cheer -
her on, she, too L hOped to gain theprize; but
leagued despotism was too strong, and War.;..
saw's plain was strewed with victims,unfor.
(mtte in the cause of liberty. , The outcast
Pole, without a country or a home, 'now
seeks a foreign land and asks a home.among
strangers.
. Americans should never forget the price
it cost to. purchase their , freedom. - They .
should remember that the bones of some of
their country's bravest sons are "mingled. .
with the soil
,of every state from Maine to,
Georgia." At this day, they read with de-
'light of the brilliant victories of their little
army: but they should never forget; that
the very trump_that sounded the success of
their conquering arms; sounded at .the :same
time the death knell to many an ardent hope *
and was the messenger of affliction te many,
a breast. The scenes of Lexington and
Concord and Bunker Hill, where the 6rat.
blood of the Revolution was :shed, and the ,
brilliant • achievements of Trenton and
Princeton, when the pulse of American hope
was beating low, should never .bepermitted
to fade from memory. The 'names of
Washington, of Lafayette and of monk other
gallant spirits should be cherished forever.
They should be sounded ihroughout the
length and breadth of 'our land, and reedit
every hut and cahin' from 'the Atlantie:to
the Rocky Motintains: and the prattling
child should be told, when it asks . theit-his.
tory, that these are the men,who purchased
the blessings they enjoy; that these are.the
men who fought for "their country's good;''
that these are the men, who periled their
lives amidst the uproar, and sitorm,and fury,
of hattle,that they might maintain the "rightik
of man. .
The scenes of this day , demonstrate that
these names and these events have not been
for , rotten by us., And while we castour
dm% into the past, and run along the line of
brilliant deeds that deck our history,and con• ..
template the dark prospects of '76; we can
not but glory in what we now are,and in the
prospects that lie before us. We are indeed
a free, and happy, and great nation; and the
name of American citizen claims the respect
of the world. Our commerce extends ; to all
parts of the earth. The Canal and the Rail
way—the fruits of peace and-prosperity—,
in every direction, checker our land, and,
bear to market the products of our abundant
soil. And the little star of freedom, civil
and religious, which first began to beam itv
the American horizon, is still shining in all
its original beauty,and in gathering splendor.
It is true, indeed, that within the last.year, n
we have heard much about the difficulties of
he times. We have seen, indeed,the
ed hopes of the farmer, and heard of the
ruined preaptfcte of the mechanic.
and ruin, and bankruptcy have stalked. like
. , ,
mighty giants, throughout our commercial
world ; and the wreck turd ruin or tortune
have been sounding from every point. But
amidst this very cry of pressure and dietress,
ought we to raise the voice of complaint? 1
would appeal to the feelings of every one
for the answer. The man who has never
felt the rucking of disease, cannot appro.,
date fully the value of the health he enjoys;
and like him, perhaps, accustomed, as, we ".
have been, to the blessings of freemen alone,*
we are not conscious of their lull value. It:
vould require us tdfeel some of the wrongs
of the oppressed, to know in• full the worth
of freedom. it is when we are deprived of
accustomed enjoyments, that we are moat
sensible of their value; and the - American
traveller, us he roams through
.Europe's
glittering cities, and views the gorgeous ink.
laces of princes, casts a thought to bis dii.
cant home, and lungs for his own happy land.
Successful and grand has been our course ,
so far, and to my view the prospects for the•
future ore bright and cheering. I gin not,
one of those 'evil prophets who cry wo, wo, ;
to the city; but I took onward and antici.
pate tho advance of freedotu. The emat e.
tations and the predtctions of despoittai t sck
far, have not been fulfilled. But it has bowl
said by some among us that we have Jai
the spirit of '7" ; and thit the Viel er
party strife has destroyed Americaz aselit
Such expressions, and such sentiment*. to
my mind, hare ever appPa rot! t lob* limicebil
MEE
Distress